THE SEASON OF CREATION

The Season of Creation What is your favorite SEASON? Is it Spring with the return of butterfies, or flowering plants, or longer days at the beach or in the mountains or in your own backyard? Is it Summer, “when the livin’ is easy!” and the mint juleps, cherry Cokes and lemonades all your coolers, or when vacation days finally appear on your calendar, or “Simple to Special” hotdogs and grilled salmon are on the BBQ? Is it Autumn, when the colors on the Color Wheel pale by comparison to your harvest, to the “The Falling Leaves” drifing by your window sill, or to the very warm days that change to the cool cozy nights in a matter of hours? Or is it Winter, when joyful holidays are anticipated and celebrated with Faith, Family and Friends, or when the snow falls for fun but not for extra work? When people ask me what my favorite season is, I usually can say it is the one we are in right now! Enjoy the present moment. It is all Grace and Gift And, if you live in the Northeast, be particularly grateful that you can celebrate all four seasons! They are all jewels of the Earth! Do you know that in the year 2000, the Lutheran Church in Australia had the brilliant inspiration to celebrate the Season of Creation! Since then it is celebrated annually by tens of thousands of Christians and Lovers of the Planet and Supporters of Ecology. The Season of Crea'on begins on September 1st the Day of Common Prayer for Creation, and continues through October 4th the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is the universal Patron of Ecology in many traditions. We are all Pilgrims on our Precious Planet Earth. The Earth is our Home in this life'me. So, “Let us be aenve” and grateful to the Earth for Spring-Summer- Autumn-Winter and all their gifts; to Protect Mother Earth as she protects us and provides for all our needs; to remember we are borrowing the Earth from future generations who deserve to enjoy the planet too; and to consider the Word of God at Creation who “looked at everything created and found it very good!” Genesis, Chapter 1. Sister Madonna, SSCM